Heresy, Schism & Apostasy

The church has often been riven by divisions which have threatened its unity and integrity. Words like ‘heresy’ and ‘schism’ have been bandied about by the different protagonists, and in the Anglican Communion some bishops now travel half way round the world to minister to individuals and parishes who cannot accept the ministry of their local diocesans. What justification is there for such actions? If a bishop crosses diocesan boundaries to minister to such people, does he create a schism by his actions? Should one leave the Anglican Communion on conscientious grounds, and if so, on which ones? Can we honestly recommend our beliefs to others as the best way, the surest truth and the most satisfying life?
 
This booklet sets out to address these questions and others related to them, and in the process endeavours to clarify not only what we are talking about but what we should be talking about, and why these questions still matter in an age of ecumenism and globalization, when ‘tolerance’ has replaced ‘discrimination’ as the value most highly prized by our contemporaries